1 John 4:17: By This Is Love Perfected With Us

1 John 4:17
[17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (ESV)

We have previously considered that the definition of love that the world has is not at all the same definition that God has given us in His Word. The ultimate demonstration of real love is found in the person of Jesus Christ, who took on human flesh and died for sinful humanity. His love is sacrificial. Jesus did not wait for us to even desire his love. He shed his blood for unworthy, ungrateful, and ungodly sinners.

Now, John talks about love being perfected with us. What does he mean? Can we ever have the perfect love of Christ? Are we even close? A better translation of this word would be "mature."  We know that we are maturing in our understanding of love. How do we know this? Because of the way we demonstrate love in the world that we live in. "As he is so also are we in this world."

Maturity seems to be a lost word in the Church of today. It is almost as if people consider that since we are so different from God, there is no use in growing in our ability to love like he does. That is not the way a true believer should act. In fact, John is saying that if we want confidence in the day of judgment we should be maturing in our love in this world.

How well are you loving those around you? Is your love sacrificial? Does it resemble the love of Jesus Christ? If not, ask Him today to help you to love others like He has loved you.